NEW ENLIGHTENMENT IN THE "BREAK" OF CLASSICAL UNIVERSALS (Review of the book “TRUTH” J.D. Caputo (Penguin Books, 2014. 283 p.))

Abstract

In “Truth”, which develops a new trend of non-separate modes of “high” and “low” culture, J. Caputo, an internationally recognized philosopher and theologist, explores different notions of truth and how we can define them today. The problem, which J. Caputo puts, is complex and needs deep knowledge of the history of philosophy and theology, beginning with St. Augustine, and covering a wide range of postmodern issues: “Is truth as for St. Augustine the same as God? Does it lie in the Reason of Descartes and Kant? Is it Derrida’s ideas of an event, still being made? Or is it according to the postmodern prophet Nietzsche, a mere ensemble of fiction and metaphors?
In “Truth” J. Caputo presents his own surprisingly interesting theory of a new Enlightenment, one that draws on the ancient ideals of truth, God, and wisdom, which embraces the forthcoming post-postmodern comprehension of our age,. The question of truth and religion in modernity/postmodernity, that J. Caputo used as his ”case” for the mutation, which takes place in postmodernism has been discussed since the 70s of the last century with much acute competence by postmodern philosophers. It still embraces post-postmodern researchers, and here J. Caputo posits his own idea of a new Enlightenment, the idea, which is based on the ancient ideals of truth and wisdom, but is of great significance in the changes and transformations of our “post-postmodern”world.
J. Caputo's work "Truth" may be of interest to both researchers of postmodernism and post-postmodernism. In Ukrainian philosophical discoursive narratives it should be understood as a part of metamodern philosophical culture and reflection. In the final analysis the idea of a new Enlightenment is being already actively discussed not only by Western philosophers, but also by representatives of the Ukrainian philosophical institutions.